


Shadows of Sensha-dō

by LordPerkins



Category: Girls und Panzer
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26194486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordPerkins/pseuds/LordPerkins
Summary: With the increased strain Sensha-dō and repeated attempts at school closures put on the minds of the students of Ōarai, a young councillor is brought in to assess and help deal with suspected issues. What worries him most is the quiet leader of the team, Miho Nishizumi, the so-called "Savior of Ōarai" as her behaviour suggests that there was more to the story than first feared.
Kudos: 4





	1. Dawn of a new Era

The day dawned early that August morning. All across the Zuikaku, birds were chirping, children and adults alike were sleeping soundly. Well, all but a handful of students and one future student. They were currently in an office with the three girls on one side of a conference table and the other student, a boy, on the other. These girls are Anzu Kadotani, Student Council President, Yuzu Koyama, Student Council Vice President, and Momo Kawashima, Student Council Public Relations Officer. The boy spoke up, "You don't need to convince me as to the need for a Councillor or Psychiatrist for the students and staff, how Ōarai has managed thus far, I'm not sure I want to know," he muttered before looking up, "It is rather the fact that you believe that I am the best for the position that boggles me."

Yuzu looked uneasy as she and Momo looked to the President for guidance. Anzu, for her part, had dropped her carefree attitude and looked deadly serious, something rare for her indeed, "Your record states that you are qualified for the position Mr Churchill, yet you choose to attend a high school just as anyone else your age. With your certification, you could skip high school altogether if you chose, yet you chose to do the exact opposite. Perhaps I am being naive, but it would seem as though you want to be here, am I correct?" she stated.

Mr Churchill rubbed his chin, mentally debating with himself, all while, the girls were worried that perhaps they had pushed too far. Soon though, he answered, "I do want to help, I really do, but would the staff listen to me, someone who is, at best two decades their junior and at worst five?" he asked.

Anzu smirked, "Considering this school and their jobs have been saved twice now by someone in a similar position to you…" she trailed off.

' _Ah yes, Miho Nishizumi, that's a case that must be looked at_ ' he thought to himself. He then spoke, "On three conditions will I accept this offer," he stated, "Firstly, the entire Sensha-dō team, new and old, _must_ pass an examination by me the day after tomorrow and I must be on hand to handle any issues that arise," he demanded. When Anzu looked to protest, he halted her, "These are non-negotiable."

Anzu stopped for a moment before speaking up, "I was always going to agree with you Mr Churchill, I just want to know what this examination will entail."

He smiled, "Just some short essay type questions, I won't be overly controlling, I will just be benching the ones who need a break for a while and helping them achieve what they want to do."

Anzu nodded, then asked, "What's the third condition?"

The boy smiled, "Call me Monty, or Montgomery if you must."

The Student Council smiled and, after agreeing to his terms, bid him a good day. Taking his leave, Monty walked to his flat, he lived in the student apartments along with most of the students since their families wouldn't uproot themselves. As he walked up the steps to his level, 08:00 by now, a brown-haired girl raced around the corner and barrelled into him, sending both of them to the ground. Dazed for a moment, Monty groaned, he had spent most of yesterday working out and his body was loudly protesting his actions now. "Oh my God, are you alright?" the girl asked.

Monty nodded, "Yes, just sore from working out yesterday."

The young girl barely seemed to hear this, "I should have been watching where I was going, damn it!"

Monty internally frowned, hearing the self-depreciation in her voice, "I should have as well, please don't beat yourself up about it ma'am," he replied, catching her attention, "In any case, I should probably introduce myself, Montgomery Churchill, but please, call me Monty."

The girl smiled and helped him stand, "Miho Nishizumi, a pleasure Mr Church… I mean, Monty."

Monty smiled, but inside his head, he was checking off a checklist he had created on his way home of things he needed to do before the school year started in a week, and one of those things was to meet Miho. Turning his mind back to the present, Monty spoke, "As much as I'd like to stay here talking with you, I'm sure you've got places to be, and you're running late judging by how fast you came around the corner."

Miho blushed but nodded and gave a hasty farewell before rocketing off. Chuckling to himself, Monty entered his flat. It was rather barren for a teenager, in fact, the only evidence that anyone lived in the flat was that the bin was partially filled, a laptop was in the kitchen, and four models sat upon a shelf in the bedroom: a Centurion III, a Panzer IV H, a Spitfire I, and a London and North-Eastern Railway A1 mocked up as Flying Scotsman.

Sighing, he sat down at the kitchen island to power up the laptop he had. He knew it was going to be a long day as he looked to see the available information provided to him on the members of the Sensha-dō team.

At first, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, the files had basic information on each student: their year/age, classes they were taking, clubs they were a part of, medical information and notes from the teachers regarding that student. However, when he got to Miho's file, he found it was shockingly barren. There were no teacher's notes and only her classes were mentioned along with her captaincy for the Sensha-dō team. For saving her school, twice no less, she seemed to slip under the radar. This threw up many red flags to his mind, even the most average student who accomplished nothing of note had several teacher's notes, yet there was nothing for Miho.

Frowning, Monty poured himself a cup of tea before setting to work. With a few keystrokes, he brought up the data he wanted: the history of the file. This allowed him to see when changes had been made and what those changes were. But rather than bring him comfort, they only raised more questions. It turned out that the only edits that had been made to Miho's file was to change her class list to be up to date with the next term's classes and move the ones she had taken last year to the completed section.

A frown seemed to be all he could express as he started pacing. He knew that students with similarly empty records usually came from troubled homes whose occupants could make the Board's life a living hell if investigated. But he also knew that sometimes, the records indicated that additional assistance was required from specialists.

Sighing, he came to the conclusion that he wouldn't find the answers he required whilst staring at his floor. With this in mind, he put on his coat before walking out to a park that was nearby and sitting on a bench. While he looked at the young children enjoying their last days of summer vacation, he decided to make a call to the one person he trusted above everyone else, "Hey Sis, how's St Gloriana holding up?" he asked once his call connected.

His sister couldn't keep the suspicion out of her voice as she answered him, "As one would expect just before the term started, what's bothering you?"

He sighed, she was always able to see right through him, "Our worst fears weren't even close to how bad the situation is here; after Anzu gave me the job, I looked into the files of all the members of the Sensha-dō team, so as to not arouse suspicion, but when I reached _hers_ , I couldn't find anything that wasn't easily found out by asking the secretary."

His sister's surprise was evident, "Nothing! What on earth is going on?"

Monty grunted, "And a look into the file history showed that the only changes to the file were to add her new classes to it and move her old ones of the 'completed' section," he muttered, drawing a gasp from his sister. Sighing, he leaned back into the bench, "I'll see what I can dig up on this end, but I may need help."

His sister agreed, "I'll speak with Lady Darjeeling tomorrow, I'm sure she'd join us."

Monty grimaced, "Sis, you do know that this requires absolute secrecy, right? Darjeeling is not a subtle person."

This brought a chuckle to his sister, "Speaking from experience I see Monty. Don't worry, I'll stress secrecy to her."

Rolling his eyes, he bid his farewells to his sister before hanging up the phone and relaxing. He hadn't spoken with his good friend for almost a week now and he was starting to miss her, she could always bring a smile to his face, but she had been the one to suggest he take the job in the first place. That made him think that maybe she knew more than she was letting on, but he had little time to think on the matter as his stomach growled and alerted him to the fact that he was hungry. Chuckling to himself, he stood and walked to a little café he had seen on his way to the park.

The rest of his day had passed by rather uneventfully, save a moment when he ran into his coffee table while he was unpacking a few other things he had, and he laid his head down for a restful night of sleep.

* * *

When he woke up the next morning, it was a thankfully more reasonable hour rather than the previous day. What's more, he still had a few days before term started, meaning he could get his office ready.

As soon as he opened the door to his new office, he was left with the impression that the management hadn't quite known just what he needed. The office was small with barely enough room for the desk and two chairs provided. Sighing, Monty wondered how he was going to make this work when a familiar voice came from behind him, "Problem Monty?" Anzu asked.

"Slightly Lady Kadotani," he replied before gesturing to the office, "I fear anyone coming to see me in this office would immediately clam up and make it impossible to assist them."

Anzu frowned, "This is not what I asked for," she muttered before turning back to Monty, "Are you sure this is yours? Maybe the secretary gave you the wrong paper."

Monty shook his head and flashed the paper before her, written on it was that room number and his name, indicating that it was his. Anzu frowned before sighing, "I'll see what I can do about this Mr Churchill, I'm terribly sorry about this," she replied before being struck with an idea, "There's an empty office attached to the Student Council Room, perhaps you could use that until we find a suitable room, or it could be transferred to you if it works well enough."

Monty was sceptical but was intrigued by this, so followed Anzu. Once they reached that room, Monty was speechless, this office was the complete opposite to the other one, spacious, warm, and not crowded. There was a desk with a chair behind it, but there was also a seating area with a couch and side chair with a fireplace. And bookshelves on every wall, Monty was very happy with that.

Just before he could state how pleased he was with the room; his phone started blasting _God Save The Queen_. Looking at it, he smiled, "It's a friend, I better answer this, but I'm very happy with the room," he remarked before flipping open his phone as Anzu left the room, quite happy at the arrangements and giving Monty some privacy.

Answering the phone, Monty smiled at hearing the voice of his friend, "Slow down Darjeeling, your excited, but I can hardly understand a word."

The happiness in Darjeeling's voice could be plainly heard through the phone, "I knew you'd get the job Monty, oh I'm so proud of you," she said.

Monty smiled, "Thank you, your faith in me means so much to me," he replied before turning serious, "I assume my sister told you what I found?" he asked.

That effectively killed the joyous mood, "Yes she did," Darjeeling grimly replied before continuing, "That worries me a lot, Miho is such a sweet girl and yet I worry that Ōarai is asking too much of her."

Monty sighed and agreed with her, "Hence why I'm here, but I fear I may be too late to fix the problem."

Darjeeling sighed, "Let's hope not," she muttered before perking up again, "Monty, you left your suit here the last time you were over," she remarked, "Do you want me to send it over?"

Monty nodded, "Please do, I'm told that I'll need to be at formal events,"

Monty could almost hear her eyebrow raise, "Formal events? You mean…"

"That I have to chaperone for students that are nearly my age? Yes. I'm not happy about it, but I don't want to push my luck." He replied.

Darjeeling hummed in agreement, before turning regretful, "Well, I better let you go so you can work, I'll talk with you on the weekends."

Monty smiled, "Alright Darjeeling, talk with you then."

As Monty hung up, he couldn't help but wonder about what Darjeeling had mentioned, being called upon as the last hope of your school was a great burden regardless of age, to not only be as young as Miho but also be called to save your school _twice_ , he could see where Darjeeling came from.

Sighing, he knew there was little he could do at this juncture, as he needed Miho to trust him enough to open up even slightly. As he sat down at the desk, the reality of his situation hit him harder than a bull during the _Running of the Bulls_ in Madrid, Spain. He was directly responsible for the mental health and well-being of several hundred students his age and staff several times his age. As he set his computer up to listen to some music he enjoyed, he wondered just what would happen that year, and how the students would accept his decisions…


	2. Quizzes and Colours

Saturday morning came, and Monty was one of the first people who woke up on the ship, at first wondering why his alarm woke him up at five in the morning, but then he remembered that today was the day that he was administrating his exam to the Sensha-dō team. Groaning, he stood up and got dressed for the day, choosing to wear a plain purple button-up shirt, sweater, black slacks and choosing to put a trench coat on to combat the currently wet weather. By the time he reached the school, the trench coat had been rendered completely waterlogged. Sighing, Monty walked to his office where he collected his test and then walked to the auditorium where it would be administered.

* * *

As Monty was preparing the auditorium for the Sensha-dō team, the captain of the team, Miho Nishizumi, was just waking up. She and her friends had spent the night at her place and would do so again until the school term started that Monday. Now though, she had the difficult task of waking everyone up for something Anzu wanted, even though she wouldn't tell her what it was. Thinking about that, she sighed, she thought she had made progress with the Student Council and had convinced them to never keep a secret from her where the school was concerned. But it seemed not, she, and the rest of the team were just as clueless as each other. Sitting up in her bed, she smiled at the sight that graced her eyes: Yukari had curled up at the foot of her bed as she had done every time they had done this in the past, Saori meanwhile, well, she had fallen asleep in a chair and no one wanted to move her. Hana had found a comfy spot near Saori to sleep while Mako had fallen asleep in Saori's lap.

Eventually, though, everyone began stirring, either of their own accord, in the case of Hana and Saori, or, in the case of Yukari and Mako, being shaken awake by Miho and Saori respectively. By the time everyone was awake, Hana had a light breakfast ready for everyone. Eating quickly, they rushed through the bad weather to the school, where they found everyone waiting outside the auditorium. However, before anyone could say anything, the doors flew open, revealing Miho's next-door neighbour. "Good morning everyone, my name is Montgomery Churchill and I'll be your school councillor, meaning if you've got something that you are having issues with, a person or policy, it's my job to help you, and, no, they do not have to be school-related. And, because I know I'll get these questions if I don't answer them now: yes, I am 17, and yes, I am qualified for this position. Any questions?" he said.

Erwin raised her hand and received a nod from Monty, "What are we here for?"

Monty nodded, "Ah, that would be a good idea, wouldn't it," he muttered, before looking up, "You will be answering some written questions for me, just so I know how you think," he said before gesturing to Anzu, "As Lady Kadotani knows, when I made part of the agreement for my employment, I more-or-less demanded that I be on hand for Sensha-dō matches, in much the same capacity as medical personnel are required to be present. If a psychologist is there, then, should a student require help, I would be able to be there in a short amount of time."

"What would be an issue that would arise in a Sensha-dō match that you would be needed?" Saori blurted out, while Miho took deep breathes to calm herself, something that neither her friends nor Monty missed.

Choosing to handle Miho's issue in private, Monty answered her question, "Well I cannot accurately say, as I've never been to a Sensha-dō match in this capacity, but I would expect that panic attacks would be common, they certainly were at St Gloriana, but regardless, you are being thrown into stressful situations, ones that normally solders face, and this is while you are in your formative years, and the case of Ōarai would bare that you have had to put yourself into situations that even adults would fail to comprehend."

Everyone could see his point and the wisdom behind getting someone like him, but Monty continued, "Now while this would be considered an examination, much in the same vein as a medical one, know that there is no pressure to answer the questions in a certain way, I'd prefer your answers come from your heart and soul rather then what you think I am looking for," he then stepped to the side, "Please find a seat and you may begin, there is no time limit so take as long as you need."

Everyone took a seat and began filling out the exam. All but Miho, whose mind was racing, trying to come up with answers that would please her mother. Sitting around her, her friends noticed her panic and resolved to talk with her about it.

Standing near the front, Monty also noticed Miho's disposition, but he also noticed that not only were Miho's friends paying attention to her, but also the student council, and, in particular, Yuzu seemed the most concerned about Miho.

Watching as all of the new students handed in their exams, Monty looked over the old teams, each taking their time, but some more so than others. From where he was, he could see as some were just finishing, but others, like Anglerfish and Turtle, were going slowly, until he was soon left with just Turtle and Anglerfish.

Walking over to Turtle, he could see that, sans Miho, Turtle and Anglerfish had finished their exams. Gesturing to them, he drew them out into the hall, "I can see that you seven have finished already," he remarked, drawing looks of concern from the girls, "Your loyalty to Lady Nishizumi is commendable, why don't you let me help her and you can wait for her here," he suggested. This was accepted by the girls and Monty turned to Anzu, "I'll need to speak with you after she's finished Lady Kadotani, hopefully, you'll be able to answer some questions I have."

After receiving a nod from Anzu, Monty strolled back into the auditorium and sat on a chair in front of Miho. Much to his surprise, she didn't react at all until he spoke, "Everything alright Miho?"

Startled, Miho jumped slightly, before calming down, "Slightly, I'm just not sure what to write down," she replied, quite embarrassed.

Monty picked up the sheet in front of her, "How about this, I'll read it aloud, then we'll both answer the questions, I'll start, followed by your answer. How's that?" he asked.

Receiving a nod, Monty started, "Alright then, 'What's one thing you enjoy doing in your free time?'" he thought for a moment, "I'd say that my favourite thing to do in my free time, if I have any, is to build models, usually model trains to be specific," he remarked before turning to Miho, "What about you?"

Miho thought for a moment, "I like to collect Boko's," she whispered.

Monty creased his brow, "I've heard of that before, though I can't remember what it is," he muttered before marking it down. Looking at the next few questions, he knew it would take a few minutes, though they made good progress. Then he got to the final question, "If given the chance, what would you change about your past, knowing what you know now?" he had to think hard about that one, before he finally spoke, "I'd spend more time with my oldest sister before she passed."

Miho looked up at Monty, his dark blue eyes wet with tears. Soon though, he collected himself and waited for her answer, but she couldn't give it and Monty saw the struggle in her eyes, "Why don't we just forget that one, and you're free to go, I'll see you probably at the first match of the season if you don't come in on your own accord before then."

Bowing to him, Miho took off with her friends while the Student Council walked back in. seeing them, Monty collected the exams and walked over to them, "Shall we discuss this in my office? I'd rather keep this quiet."

Their concern spiked upon hearing that, and they followed him to his office. Once there, Monty sat down, "Well, I might as well begin from the start," he muttered, "After I took on this job, I knew I had a great deal of work to do, but as soon as I opened the student files on the Sensha-dō team, I realised that my work took a turn for the surprising as once I reached Miho's file, I found it to be empty."

Anzu's eyes widened, "Empty! But I'm sure I made several notes in it regarding what she had done during the tournament."

Yuzu nodded, "I know you did, Momo and I looked over them to see if you had forgotten anything."

Monty frowned, this only could mean one thing, but he kept that to himself for the moment, "May I see those notes if you still have them?" he asked.

Yuzu immediately rushed out and was back in a moment, "I like to keep paper copies just in case," she remarked when Monty raised an eyebrow.

Choosing not to make any remarks, Monty skimmed over the notes, seeing the three different handwriting styles make their appearances. Finishing his skim, he looked up, a grim look on his face, "There are three people who can approve a change to a student's record: The School Councillor," he said, gesturing at himself, "The Principal of the school, and the Director of MEXT, considering you've been without a School Councillor for years, and you don't have a Principal, I would say that the Director of MEXT would be our most likely explanation, though why they would do such a thing is beyond me."

Anzu frowned, and the girls all looked to each other. Seeing this, Monty spoke up, "Renta's been reassigned to some insignificant post, so he doesn't have access to these files," then he sighed, "I'll interview each teacher over the course of tomorrow and hopefully I'll figure this out before the end of the month."

Anzu's frown deepened, "Please don't try and solve this in one night, I'd rather not explain to your sister, whoever that might be, why you collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of the day."

Monty frowned, then looked at his phone, "I've got a few ideas, I'll run them down, but don't worry about me."

Not sure whether to take him at his word, the girls left him to his devices. As soon as they left, Monty picked up his phone and dialled a number he was sure would work, "I require to speak with Renta Tsuji immediately, I am the school councillor for Ōarai and I suspect his involvement in a matter I need to sort out," he replied when the woman on the other side asked for his purpose.

Connecting him immediately, Monty was quickly confronted with him, "Mr Tsuji, this is Montgomery Richards, the School Councillor for Ōarai, I'm calling due to some discrepancies in a file I've uncovered."

Monty could almost feel the anger transmit through the line, "And what would that be?" he asked sharply.

Monty pulled up the file on his desk, "The Student Record of Nishizumi Miho, it's rather blank," he remarked. For a moment, Renta didn't say a thing, "Mr Tsuji?" he asked.

Instead of the anger he expected, he heard fear come from the man, "I'll only say this once, but that's a Magenta file."

Hearing the line disconnect, Monty mulled over the information Tsuji gave him. A Magenta file coding only meant one thing: the parents were actively in conflict with their child.

Resetting his phone, Monty quickly glanced at the clock, seeing that it was 1100, "Here's hoping he's still up," he muttered before dialling a number he had practice dialling. Waiting for it to connect, Monty thought about what he was asking before suddenly being connected, "Monty?" came the male voice across the line, "It's midnight, what's going on?"

Monty grimaced, "Sorry about waking you Owen, but I've got a Magenta over here."

This caused Owen to pay attention, "Wait a moment while I get a cuppa, I'll only take a minute."

True to his word, Owen was back in a minute, "What, do you have water brewing all night just in case?" Monty asked.

Owen snorted, "You'd be surprised," he muttered before sipping his tea, "I'll turn on my monitor, let's talk face to face."

Monty agreed and soon the ageing man was on his screen, "Now what's going on? You said something about a Magenta case."

Monty sighed and rubbed his face, "I've sent the entirety of the file on a student to you Owen, there's bugger all on her, I'd get more information from the newspapers over here."

As soon as Owen saw the file, he paled, memories flashing in his mind. Monty noticed but chose not to say anything on the matter since he believed it was his reaction to the sparseness of the file. Before long, Owen spoke, "Fuck it, I'm on my way."

This completely surprised Monty, "Pardon? What do you mean?" he asked.

Owen closed the file, "I'm coming to Ōarai to help in person, something tells me this is the right choice to make."

Slightly confused, Monty conceited to the greater experience of Owen, "Very well, I'll tell Lady Kadotani to expect you in the coming days."

Owen frowned, "Whose Lady Kadotani?"

Monty sighed, "My boss in a sense, she's the Student Council President here, and since there's not really a Principal, well, I was surprised to be interviewed by her."

Owen frowned but said nothing, "I'll be on the first flight to Japan, I'll there soon."

Monty nodded, and they cut their connection. As he sat, reading the exams, he wondered what had spooked Owen, and why it caused him to suddenly decide to come out to Ōarai. Looking at the exam in his hand, he shoved it into the back of his mind for another day as he read the answers given to him by this "Erwin". He sighed, he hated people who pretended to be someone important, no matter how harmless it seemed it always irked him. On he went, reading and making notes until the day ended, but he knew his task had but begun…


	3. Preparations

When morning came to the Zuikaku, Monty walked to the only "Airport" on the carrier. With Owen coming that morning he had spent the last night explaining the situation to Anzu as best he could

* * *

_"No, I'm not sure about the exact reason he's coming, but I assure you, Owen's as trustworthy as I am," Monty said._

_Anzu frowned, the last rays of dusk were fading away and now she was being told that someone new was coming onto her ship. "Regardless, he does realise that he's not employed by Ōarai, and therefore has to follow the same guidelines as visitors and parents?"_

_Monty nodded, "Yes he does, he's pretty well off to begin with so there's no worry for him regarding money, besides, I'm putting him up whilst he's here."_

_Anzu sighed, "And you can think of no reason why he's coming?"_

_At this, Monty grimaced, "Not a specific reason, but I may have a general idea or at least a theory," he remarked, drawing interest from Anzu, "Owen's a fellow Councillor, he vouched for me in the early days, when I showed him Miho's file and he looked as though he'd seen a ghost."_

* * *

This was the cause of his early morning being spent in Anzu's company. But it worked for the both of them since it allowed him to impart information he had gathered from the Exams onto her and she passed on information about the general student population and the staff to him. Finally, the PA system rang out, "Flight 174 now disembarking, calling from London, Berlin, Moscow, Beijing, and Tokyo, next stop: Honolulu, Hawaii."

Monty smiled, he could just see the top of Owen's head over the top of the crowd. A few moments later, Owen stood before them, "Monty, good to see you again, haven't seen you since the situation in Israel went FUBAR," he remarked before seeing Anzu by his side, "Lady Kadotani I presume, Owen McAlister, Wing Commander of Her Majesty's Royal Air Force, Retired. At your service."

Anzu's eyebrows raised, "A pleasure Commander McAlister," she said before turning to Monty, "You never mentioned your friend used to be an officer of the Royal Air Force."

Monty shrugged, "Wasn't relevant at the time," he replied before gesturing to the door, "Well, we best get moving, we've got a bit of a walk ahead of us to get to the school."

Anzu just smirked, "Just wait Mr Churchill,"

Confused, Monty and Owen took a step outside where they heard the distinct rumbling of a tank engine, "Yuzu driving?" Monty asked, to which he got a nod back, just in time for the Hetzer to pull up, "Well, at least the commute won't be too bad," he muttered before climbing aboard.

In seemingly no time at all, they arrived at Ōarai, just as staff started to arrive. Dismounting and making their way to Monty's office, Owen let out a low whistle, "Nice office, did you have to beg for it?"

Monty shrugged, "More or less, originally my office was just big enough for my desk and two chairs, Anzu wasn't happy with that and gave me this instead."

Owen slowly nodded before taking a seat, "Right, let's discuss what to do about our Magenta case."

Monty nodded, "Agreed," he replied before pulling out a notebook and pen, "Fact: Nishizumi Miho is a Magenta case and this was in effect long before I arrived."

Owen nodded, "Fact: Miho has kept Ōarai open twice thus far."

Writing that down, Monty looked up, "Theory: Renta Tsuji, the Director of MEXT whilst Miho was saving the school, was acting under the orders of Nishizumi Shiho for unknown reasons, possibly to do with the reason Miho's file is a Magenta."

Owen rubbed his chin, "But what about during the match with the University team, Shiho looked to be pretty supportive of her daughter then?"

Monty held up a finger and tapped his chin, "Was she being supportive of Miho? Or was she being supportive of Maho?"

Owen frowned, "Point," he ground out.

Monty nodded, before thinking of something, "Theory: you know more then you're letting on my old friend."

Owen jumped slightly, "What makes you say that?" he asked.

Monty studied his friend, though his facial expression hadn't changed, Monty noticed small micro-expressions that proved his theory, "Firstly you paled significantly last night when I showed you the file, moreover, you referred to Lady Nishizumi as Shiho."

Owen blinked, "And what does that prove?"

Monty sighed, "Remember, I'm not in training anymore, meaning, I know all the tricks to tell if someone is lying."

Owen blinked again before looking down, "I'd rather not say right now Monty." He murmured.

Monty nodded, "Fair enough, I just hope you'll share that information when it's relevant."

Owen sighed, but said nothing, Monty meanwhile thought for a moment, "Theory: Renta is actually on the side of Ōarai."

Owen's face scrunched "I don't follow."

Monty set down his pen, "Think about it: you're ordered to close a school down, but you can't due to paperwork, but you can threaten to close it down by the next term, but you also learn that what is essentially a super-star athlete is also transferring to the same school, so you cut a bargain, they compete and win the sport, they get to keep their school."

Owen looked doubtful, "What about the University match?"

Monty stood up, "He's ordered to shut it down, but he still manages to find an out, by defeating a school from the next level up, Ōarai secures their claim to fame," he replied, then a thought came to him, "Darjeeling knew about the match being Ōarai's only chance at survival, but she was emailed the details by someone, if we could figure out who that someone is, we could find out who has a vested interest in Ōarai."

Before Owen could say anything, Monty whipped out his phone and texted Darjeeling. Looking back up, he explained, "Darjeeling will forward the email to me and I can trace where it came from, or, failing that, I could always have Assam do it."

Owen looked carefully at Monty, "Does your sister know about your investigation?" he asked.

Monty smirked, "Of course Assam knows, she suggested it in the first place."

Just then Yuzu walked in, "Pardon me Monty, but Anzu would like to ask something of you and your friend, she wouldn't say what though."

Raising an eyebrow, Monty and Owen walked out into the main office, seeing Anzu with her face buried in a folder. After they took a seat, Anzu looked up, "Monty, I need your honest opinion on something," she began, looking far more serious then she had ever looked before.

Monty nodded, "Of course, you'll always have my honest counsel."

Anzu laid the folder on the desk, "The organisers of the World Sensha-dō Federation have been working together with several other organisations to create a massive tournament."

Monty raised an eyebrow, "How do you mean? A long campaign?"

Anzu shook her head, "Thankfully, nothing like a 'World War' tournament, but an odd system, we will be paired with a few other schools who have dogfighting teams, infantry teams and naval teams." she replied before pushing the folder to him, "Over the course of a weekend, our team will be battling another team where our victories will be counted as advantages, the team with the most advantages at the end of the weekend wins that bracket, then we rinse and repeat until there is a winner, or we are defeated." here she grew very serious, "According to the schedule, it shouldn't be too bad, not too different from the normal season."

Monty looked carefully over the folder, taking special note of the rest periods between battles. However, he saw a glaring issue, "Five events, one of each except for the infantry sport, where there will be Napoleonic and WWII era battles."

Anzu nodded but Monty frowned, while he did not see anything wrong with the tournament itself, he could not shake a sense of foreboding hovering over him. Pursing his lips, he looked at Anzu, "Who are your allies?" he asked.

Anzu looked over her e-mail, "Nuremberg School for the Youth will provide the Aircraft part of the team, The School of Greater Southern Salem, Oregon will provide the Infantry and the Portsmouth Naval Prep School will provide the Naval forces, do you know any of them?"

Monty thought for a moment, "Only by reputation for Nuremberg and Oregon. Portsmouth though, I toured there years ago when I was passing that level of education, good school, good Naval team with an okay commander and second-in-command duo."

Anzu nodded, "Wilhelm and Igraine, though that last name seems odd for Britain, unless I'm missing something."

Monty chuckled, "Arthurian Legend," her replied before shaking his head, "Her parents must have been interested in King Arthur's mother with a name like that."

Anzu shrugged, "What about the other two?" she asked.

Monty frowned, "Oregon has a good infantry team, most of them end up serving in either the US Army or Marines, though Special Forces isn't uncommon either."

Anzu didn't look convinced, but Monty continued, "As for their commanders, Captain Crisdean Olfey has many wins under his belt and has reportedly been scouted for a command position in the US Army. Lieutenant Joseph Hernandez on the other hand has been touted as the next Alvin York or Audie Murphy, single-handedly turning the tide of battles."

Seeing Anzu nod, Monty continued, "Nuremberg has many good aces, some descendants of famous aces such as Hartmann and Richthofen, such as their SiC being Sara Hartmann, but most are just normal people, their Commander Ekkehard Gorman being a good example of this."

Anzu sagged her shoulders in relief, and Monty noticed this, "Anzu? Are we being called upon _again_ to keep Ōarai open?" he asked in disbelief.

Anzu looked around, apart from Yuzu, Momo, Monty and Owen, the office was empty. "Not in so many words," she finally said, prompting a scoff from Owen, "Our school's budget is dependant on grants, tournament winnings and donations from the generous and charitable. Even with our victories in the tournament last year and the victory over Selection University over the summer, we have, at best guess three years before funding runs to the point where we'd have to either make cuts or close down, and since we don't have anything to cut…"

Monty hung his head, the School Ship Program had quickly rendered the land-based schools redundant or for the bottom of society, leading for most of them closing bar one in each country. But Anzu kept going, "Even opening Ōarai as a coed school might give us an additional few years, if the school board can be convinced that the girls will be safe when boys are introduced."

Owen raised an eyebrow and Monty explained, "I am the only male member of the staff, and I was only hired because I was the only one to accept a lower pay package. That should give you some idea of how stubborn they are about boys and the school."

Anzu sighed, "That's not even that half of it," she muttered before looking Monty in the eye, "I received several letters _strongly_ recommending that I didn't hire you. Though the recommendations were in the more politely worded ones."

Owen shook his head, "You may not have a choice in the matter, ma'am, your options are to allow this or to see Ōarai closed, I just can't see it remaining an all-girls academy."

Anzu sighed, "I know this, but the board is very stubborn about this." she replied before rubbing her brow, "I'm planning on hosting the teams that are our allies for the duration, hopefully that will convince the board that not all men are predators, no offence either of you."

Monty waved her off, "None taken," he replied, "but, it may take more to convince them."

Anzu nodded, but left the subject for the moment, "Is there anything in the line-up that you are concerned about? Perhaps a school that may not be best paired with us or another school?"

Monty looked over the school list once more and spotted something, "I'd warn the St Gloriana girls about Eire-Leinster, they can be _very_ national and hate anything to do with Britain, though from my interactions with alumni, it seems to be confined to a small, yet very vocal, minority." he remarked, "And warn the Saunders girls that the Texans can be loud."

Momo rolled her eyes, "A match made in heaven." she muttered.

Anzu chuckled at Momo's remark, she had little doubt that she was wrong after all. Just then a thought bubbled to the surface of her mind, "Monty, may I speak with you alone for a moment?"

Surprised, Monty raised an eyebrow, "I don't see why not." he replied before turning to Owen, "Directions to my place can be found on my computer on the blue sticky note, I'll see you then."

Owen nodded and walked out. Anzu dismissed Momo and Yuzu leaving just the two of them, "Lady Kadotani?" Monty asked.

Anzu sighed, "I'm concerned about Nishizumi, she blossomed during her first months here, even after being forced back into Sensha-dō. However, she now seems more withdrawn than she had been even before then, even though she still has her friends."

Monty thought for a moment, "That was part of the reason I called Owen yesterday, I had been hoping that he would be able to provide a new perspective on the matter."

Anzu raised an eyebrow, "And has he?"

Monty sighed, "Nothing that he's said outright, though I've got my suspicions that he knows more than he's letting on."

Anzu nodded, "Do your suspicions fall under confidentiality, or may I know of them?"

Monty nodded, "Potentially, and for now, I am erring on the side of caution. However, anything you could aid me with would be appreciated."

With that, it was as if Anzu had just been reinvigorated and regained her youthful expression. They would spend much of the rest of the day occasionally talking about Miho, but generally working the preparations for the new tournament, something that would be appreciated as they were slated to have the command staff of their team arrive on Friday and they wanted to put their best foot forwards…


	4. Chapter 4

Monday morning came and for Monty, it was an early one. He, like all of the other members of the staff, had to be at the school by 0600 for the first meeting of the year, wherein he would be introduced to them, amongst other things.

Wanting to put on a good first impression, not least of which because of the fact that he was going to be the only male in the building, he made sure no one would be able to find any fault with his dress. Wearing his signature purple shirt, black pants and blazer, the only thing he added was a dusty navy vest. Grabbing his cane, he made his way to the building. While it wasn't that necessary, his old injury wasn't _that_ severe, it helped sell the image of a helpless man incapable of harming a woman that he knew would be key if he wanted to get out of the meeting in one piece.

Monty wasn't shocked that the majority of the existing staff effectively rioted when Monty walked in, though he suspected it was all of them, just that some were being quieter in their revolt than others. Telling that Anzu, now acting as Principal for Ōarai was getting annoyed, Monty had enough. "If I may?" he called out.

It took a moment, but eventually, everyone calmed down. "My thanks," he said before standing. "In accordance with Ordinance JE-MEXT-57396-20, every school _must_ have a mental health specialist qualified with the "S-4" qualification. In addition: 'Any School found in violation of this Ordinance will be closed until such a time that they are able to comply.'" he recited before looking them in the eye, "Simply put. You cannot afford to drive me away, nor can you afford to impede me in any form."

Seeing that no one else felt brave enough to challenge him, he continued. "However, just because I am here does not mean you _must_ interact with me. I encourage it, but you don't need to see me. Today was forced, but after I exit this room, I will be sticking to my office near the Student Council's room and the garages of the Sensha-dō team as per the requirements by the Federation."

With that, he left the room, glad to put that behind him. Getting back to his room, he continued his task of reading the tests of the Sensha-dō team, hoping to finish it rather soon. Or at least before the first practice that afternoon.

* * *

When lunch came around, Miho and the rest of Anglerfish team sat together, as they usually did. Miho let much of the conversation pass her by, which was probably not a bad idea, considering Saori kept the conversation solely focused on boys in one way or another. Miho's own thoughts drifted aimlessly, with no topic, in particular, sticking around for long. That was until she began to consider the new addition to the school's staff. She shouldn't have been surprised that schools would be required to have councillors, but one of the perks of her time at Ōarai had been that no one would poke or prod her regarding what had happened _before_. Before she could think the subject through, Saori called her attention away. "Miporin! What do you think of the new councillor?"

" _Ironic_ ," Miho thought, " _I was just trying to sort that out_." Instead of sharing her thoughts in full, however, she simply said: "I won't know for a while yet."

Either Saori didn't catch Miho's tone, or she purposely ignored it as she rambled on. "I wonder what he's like. Or if he has a girlfriend. Oh! Maybe _I_ could be that girlfriend!" she squealed with her usual glee at the prospect.

Mako, being roused from her mid-day nap, groaned. "I doubt it. He'll be too busy with work to worry about silly things like you," she deadpanned before turning serious, "Not to mention all of the laws he would be breaking."

Saori, naturally, got rather annoyed with her friend at ruining her fantasy world, and as the two bickered, the rest of the team tuned them out. Hana looked at Miho, unsure of whether or not to mention her suspicions, especially when they were in public. In the end, she decided to let it be for now. Having endured two attempted school closures in just a few months had brought forward the cynic in many, so it wouldn't surprise her if her concerns regarding the councillor were simply misplaced.

Thankfully for all of their sanity's, the lunch bell soon rang and the students began shepherding themselves to their classes.

* * *

From the morning onwards, Monty had no visitors. A part of him preferred that since he still had much to do before he was completely settled in. But soon, he gathered his coat and hat and walked to the Sensha-dō garage for the daily practice, wanting to be on hand at all times like he had told Anzu.

Upon his arrival, he noticed that he was far from the first to arrive. "I'm sorry sir," the lady in a military uniform remarked. "but observations are prohibited by Federation… Monty? Is that you?"

Monty smirked, "Good to see you too Ami, it's been too long."

Ami rolled her eyes, "A year is too bloody long indeed." she grumbled before looking at him, "You haven't re-injured your leg have you?"

Monty waved her off, "It's fine, it just flares every now and then." he remarked. He then looked over the tanks in the garage, "Interesting selections, though if I remember correctly, then they can't be fully crewed. At least, that's what I could assume when I saw last year's roster."

Ami winced, it was an open secret that Ōarai's team needed more tanks, but they needed a lot more people before that could be effective. However, a question nagged at the back of her mind, "Why are you here Monty? Not that it isn't good to see you of course."

Monty shrugged, looking intently at the Panzer IV, "It's my job, Ami."

It suddenly clicked for her "You're the Mental Health Specialist that Anzu told me about, aren't you?"

Monty smirked but didn't say anything. Soon though, the students entered the garage and any chance of catching up then was put aside for the time. Taking a seat in the wings, Monty observed the team interact with each other and with Ami. Quite often, he would quietly remind himself to watch everyone rather than just watch Ami. His friendship with her had started a little over two years prior when he attended his final year of study for his Mastery at the university in Tokyo. Though they had parted at the end of his studies, a steady flow of emails went between themselves. But he wasn't getting paid to watch his friend, he was supposed to study the interactions of the team and pick out worrisome behaviours.

By the end of the practice, which had consisted of maintenance and teaching the new people what to do, Monty looked at the notebook he had brought. Two pages had been filled with his scrawl, but worryingly, it centred around only a single person. Miho. Slipping out and walking home, he mulled over the information he had written down. While he wasn't surprised that most of his concerns centred around the Commander of the team, he was concerned about what he saw. Apart from seemingly spacing out randomly, she also reacted the worst to sudden noises, she also seemed to get overwhelmed easily and always seemed to be preparing for some danger that never materialized. A sinking sensation formed in the pit of his gut and he was fairly certain it had nothing to do with the fact that they were on a ship in the middle of the sea. Finally arriving, he passed Owen offering a cup of tea for his home office. Owen, thoroughly confused, followed. Monty didn't say a word until his computer had powered up and he had hammered out a message, "Owen. Whatever you know, I need it quickly." he began. "If I am correct, and I pray every deity that I am wrong, then I'm facing a teenager who suffered a traumatic event and is suffering from PTSD from _something_ and I need to know what it is if I am going to be able to help her effectively."


End file.
